Business world honors ambassador for Bangladesh trade promotion
His Excellency Gerben de Jong Ambassador of the Netherlands in Dhaka, Bangladesh, received today the 2014 Embassy Prize. The prize is awarded by the Dutch business world every two years, to the embassy offering the best support in promoting trade. One of the Dhaka embassy’s initiatives is the Netherlands Bangladesh Business Platform in collaboration with Nyenrode Business Universiteit.
Among other things the Business Platform organizes trade missions for Dutch SMEs, and it has developed the website www.nbbp.org containing information and research reports about doing business in Bangladesh.
Ambassador De Jong said: “Together with Nyenrode Universiteit., the embassy works at promoting activities between the Netherlands and Bangladesh. With a growing middle-class and a young population in the dynamic Bangladesh, there are opportunities for Dutch entrepreneurs thanks to a strong entrepreneurial spirit and the ambitious vision of the Bangladeshi government. The active involvement of the business world has become an important link in combating poverty.”
The relationship between Bangladesh and the Netherlands is shifting from traditional development assistance to sustainable trade and investment. Professor of International Business Strategy Prof. Dr. Désiree van Gorp of Nyenrode: “It’s fantastic that the Dutch business community is honoring the embassy with this prize.
Research has shown that there are enormous opportunities for Dutch companies in food production and processing, water, logistics and IT outsourcing. Its strong economic growth means the country has become less dependent on development cooperation. Bangladesh offers growing opportunities for a sustainable economic relationship.
Three trade missions to Bangladesh have so far been organized, with participation by 38 Dutch SMEs from a variety of sectors.
